


Red Sea

by Trainer_Amy



Series: Naga's Lore [1]
Category: Flight Rising
Genre: Blind Character, Coatl, F/M, Guardian - Freeform, Spiral - Freeform, The Rogues - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 05:57:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18910957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trainer_Amy/pseuds/Trainer_Amy
Summary: Within the crew of The Rogues, tensions flicker. Rydian stands up for herself and Sarin learns what power feels like.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted from tumblr. For more, see https://ominouspotato.tumblr.com/tagged/clan+lore/chrono
> 
> Dragon IDs:  
> Phantom: 7090060  
> Rydian: 10893165  
> Jasper: 11141326  
> Sarin: 16508983  
> SwampWitch: 12298275
> 
> Specific CWs: abuse from a superior, blood, violence, implied gore, dragon death

“Swing your hips ta build momentum and then LASH yer tail.”

“Phantom, please. That move only works for Guardians. I am a tail.” The spiral, Rydian, flapped her secondary wings for emphasis. “Anyway, why are we even still doing this? You’ve been showing me fight moves for ages now.”

“I don’t like the way Jasper’s bin lookin’ atcha.” A low growl rippled through Phantom’s throat crest. “The cap'n’s gone off with his new lady friend an’ left ‘im in charge.”

Rydian brushed it off with a body shake, throwing another fish into the heavy iron pot. The Guardian was overprotective and, frankly, a little loose in the marbles department. But he had a point. Jasper had tried and failed to court her, and since he had become Quartermaster he had been throwing his weight around in front of her.

A hiss near the door alerted her to another dragon’s presence. Phantom stiffened beside her, the tension almost palpable in the air.

“What is it, Jasper?” she snapped.

The Coatl hesitated, his tongue flicking onto her face. She flinched. “Neckbeard would like to see you in his forge, regarding his diet,” he warbled in his strange voice. He still had not mastered classic draconic.

Phantom huffed. Rydian put a reassuring paw on him and followed the slithering drake out of the kitchen.

The forge was quiet and cold and still as the night outside. Some embers burned dully in the grate but it was doubtlessly empty. Jasper blocked the exit with his body, twice as large as the small Spiral.

“What’s this about?” she snapped impatiently.

“I think you know,” he said quietly. Rydian was a little unnerved, twisting uncomfortably. It wasn’t like Jasper to be quiet recently.

“I don’t want you, Jasper. Not before, not now.”

His voice hardened. “I’m not giving you a choice.”

And then he lunged.


	2. Chapter 2

Phantom paced in his kitchen, ignoring the stench coming from the pot. Jasper was his superior but he didn’t trust him. The Coatl had changed since coming on board: no longer was he a lighthearted entertainer, drawing cards from hidden pockets with twinkling eyes as his audience oohed and ahhed. Ambition was a nasty beast when given to people who have nothing.

His tail whipped angrily, knocking a row of dishes off the counter. It had been too long. Neckbeard was a fussy eater and had often put in specific requests, but something was definitely off. He stormed out of the kitchen, his one good eye scanning the deck awash in moonlight.

His stomps led him down the belly of the ship, to the stern where the forge pumped steam into mechanical engines when the wind failed. It was too quiet, too dark. In a deep recess, he spotted them: the large Coatl was quickly nipping Rydian, blood beginning to run into her sightless eyes.

Phantom charged, roaring, and whipped his tail against Jasper. He received a slash to the blind side of his face and quickly bit the paw. Rydian stood up shakily, and Phantom launched her at Jasper in one of their classic team moves. She scrabbled against his face, flinging herself backwards onto Phantom’s wings, and the pair received a hiss and wing beating in return.


	3. Chapter 3

Sarin’s eye winked open in the darkness. The swaying hammocks above him were empty - he was an Imperial, too big to fit in them, but Rydian usually curled up into one above him. Jasper was gone, too - his hammock, stretched to the limit and almost touching the floor, was occupied by a snoring Neckbeard, the only Snapper on the ship. Sleeping entwined with him was the Swamp Witch, her even breathing quietly ruffling her Guise.

He realized what had woken him as it came again: a boom, crash, and cracking somewhere distantly. He moved his head, slipping it from under the Swamp Witch’s, and peered up at the hazy moon peeking in through the ship’s beams. The sounds only got louder.

He got up quietly, disentangling himself, and padded over to the ramp leading to the deck. As he got up top, he gasped: The deck was covered in what appeared to be moonlit water, but on closer inspection dripped eerily.

Blood.

Something zoomed in a blaze of light and blasted a hole in the hull. Phantom struggled up the side and onto the deck. His crest was fully extended, shaking as he let loose an earsplitting roar. Bloody spittle flew from his throat and his one golden eye was wide and wild as his tail lashed into the air.

Another crash and the battling dragons burst through the deck, grappling in midair. Blood trickled down Jasper’s crimson wings, feathers were torn, and his neck crest flared. Rydian’s wraps were soaked, her flanks deeply scratched. She was biting every inch of him that she could find, wrapping herself around his neck and strangling him as he kept them flying. He bashed them both into the mast and her grip loosened.

More of the crew had woken and were gathering on the deck beneath the brawl. The Swamp Witch stood by Sarin’s shoulder, looking sadly at the scene above. “Do something!” Sarin snarled at them. “Stop them!”

They looked away.


	4. Chapter 4

He turned to the Swamp Witch and she caught his eye sadly.

“I can’t,” she said. “I only have enough magic to light a candle, or put a breeze in the sails. You can’t stop a storm with a breeze.”

It started to rain - but no, the rain was too thick. Sarin looked up and saw that Rydian had ripped most of the feathers from one of Jasper’s hind legs. Jasper clamped his teeth around her midsection. Phantom roared with uninterpretable rage.

“STOP!” Sarin yelled at them. “YOU’RE BOTH GOING TO DIE IF YOU KEEP THIS UP!” He felt a stab to his own heart as the two let out piercing shrieks. “STOP FIGHTING!” A breeze began to ripple along Sarin’s mane and whiskers. Clouds moved over the moon and plunged them into darkness. Waves chopped heavily against the sides of the ships.

For a moment it was silent.

Sarin glowed. His eyes were bright green in the darkness, whiskers raising out to either side of him. Flash! The wind howled suddenly, snapping the sails, the waves circling the ship like threshers. Rain lashed the hull and thunder growled in the sky above. The wind crescendoed and whipped the dragons’ apparel. Sarin raised his head and roared, and Jasper and Rydian flew apart from each other, suspended writhing in the air. The ship listed dangerously to one side.

“Sarin.” He heard the voice distantly, an echo. He felt breath softly against his ear as rain beat down. “Sarin, come back.”

The green haze lowered around Sarin’s eyes and he looked down at something familiar. The beautiful brown eyes, always twinkling with mischief, now concerned and pleading. He knew those eyes.

He came back to himself and startledly lowered the dragons to the deck. His whiskers lowered and the weather calmed. The moon glowed calmly above.

There was chaos on board the ship. Phantom rushed over to Rydian, nuzzling her and whispering panicked words as she groaned. Visitor, the surgeon, pushed him out of the way, and deftly, and surprisingly gently, wrapped her in bandages and carried her away.

Sarin approached the battered Coatl, lying prone on the ground, and put a paw on his chest, breathing heavily.

“I’m not going to let you get away with this,” Sarin growled.

Jasper laughed hollowly, blood flecking onto his lips. He looked Sarin in the eye and hissed, “I’d do it again. In fact, I think I will.”

He said no more. Giant black-barred jaws snapped closed around his neck and Sarin withdrew his paw quickly. Phantom looked up at him, shook his muzzle, and said nothing.


	5. Epilogue

“It looks like we need a new Quartermaster,” said the Swamp Witch behind Sarin. Sarin looked around and saw all eyes on him, silently appraising.

“I… I’m not even a priest. I didn’t know I could do that until just now. I lied to you all. I came here to steal and the Swamp Witch just helped me out by casting charms. But since I’ve been on board I found something here. There’s nothing like the feel of the breeze on your face, the spray of the sea, the freedom – and having someone to share that with. A family that is so much more than the life I had before this.” He looked at the Swamp Witch. “Please. I can’t go back.”

The Swamp Witch moved to his side, and Phantom quickly followed. One-by-one, the crew quietly settled around him until only Neckbeard the Snapper blacksmith was left. Phantom growled at him with still gorey jaws, and he quickly consented.

“Ya say the witch’s a priest?” Phantom asked. And so the Witch became, to the crew, an ally.

Sarin took a deep breath. Quartermaster. Wait until his sister heard.

His eyes widened. Wait until the captain heard.


End file.
